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Press freedom campaign launch timed to Formula One race in Bahrain

New York and Paris, April 3[tk], 2014—The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) and Reporters Without Borders (RSF) have launched a joint social media campaign calling on the Bahraini government to allow journalists to work freely during the Formula One Grand Prix race in Bahrain on April 6, 2014. Using the social media tool Thunderclap, the "Bahrain Racing in Circles" campaign participants will call for press freedom in Bahrain at the exact start of the Formula One race. As of April 2, the campaign had gained a potential audience of 2.6 million people, twice the population of Bahrain.

"It's clear that it's not only F1 cars that are racing circles in Bahrain, as we see the same cycle of protests, repression, and censorship every year," said CPJ Middle East and North Africa Program Coordinator Sherif Mansour. "Every year, the Bahraini government hopes the roar of Formula One cars will drown out criticism of the regime's human rights violations," said Soazig Dollet, head of RSF's Middle East and North Africa desk. "This year, we're calling on everyone to join our F1 campaign to make sure that does not happen."

CPJ and RSF have documented a consistent attempt by the Bahraini government to censor the press since the launch of a mass protest movement on February 14, 2011. Most recently, on March 26, freelance photographer Ahmed Humaidan was sentenced to 10 years' imprisonment on charges of attacking a police station in 2012. Humaidan was at the station to document the incident as part of his coverage of unrest in the country.

### CPJ is an independent, nonprofit organization that works to safeguard press freedom worldwide. Reporters Without Borders promotes and defends the freedom to be informed and to inform others throughout the world